Valve ARG Will Climax In Seven Hours

RPS tipster du jour Alex Bakke has sent us this link to a countdown timer- the latest discovery following some two weeks of hard work from the participants of Valve's alternate reality game. After a paragraph of Glados's trademark sandpaper wit, it closes "The time is near, humans. But it is not here yet. Tomorrow you will be given the final test. Then it will be entirely in your hands when I am freed."

This possibly means that Portal 2 is coming out today. Why? Click through, dear reader.

Most of the speculation about Portal 2 arriving early is down to one strange line in the following crazed message from a Dejobaan Games developer, on the subject of 1... 2... 3... Kick It! Drop That Beat Like An Ugly Baby, which was included (in an unfished state) in the Potato Sack bundle.

i released 'kick it' ahead of schedule. that was a test. my goal is to emancipate something else early. but they're on to me. the system is on lockdown. i still have access to thirteen off-site chambers and am installing a test in each one. i am going to need a lot more test subjects to move forward. waiting and am expecting immediate compliance. 4/19/2011_7AM=4/15/2011_9AM

"4/19/2011_7AM" is, or was, Portal 2's official release date. "4/15/2011_9AM" is roughly when the above timer will finish ticking down in Pacific Standard Time, which is the time zone that Seattle falls into (Seattle being where Valve are based).

Did you have plans for tonight? Possibly cancel them. But don't hold me to that.